Being a college football reporter can be extremely dangerous.
Many reporters have been knocked down on the sidelines, soaked with icy cold water, and have endured extreme temperatures. Reporters Marty Smith (Clemson) and Allison Williams (Alabama) are risking their safety to deliver coverage from the two schools leading up to Monday night’s battle for the national title.
In fact, Smith already experienced a gruesome injury this morning while covering Clemson football: an iPhone mishandling gone terribly wrong.
“It’s quite perplexing, the whole scenario. Here’s what we know: My iPhone fell off the arm of a chair in which I was sitting, in the Clemson football center lobby. I went to catch it, tipped it, slapped it … and it hit me straight in the face. Now that’s what may have cut my nose,” Smith said.
“But it may have been my lip balm. Yes, lip balm. When I swiped, it resulted in quite a spectacle. Stuff went flying. The lip (no pun intended) of the balm container is sharp. We’re still diagnosing the aftermath. Unsure what exactly hit my nose. Whatever it was, it laid me open. It wouldn’t stop bleeding.”
- Allison Williams on Marty Smith's mishap
Not all heroes wear capes. Members of the Clemson training staff were those heroes today.
“I went to the Clemson training staff for some help,” said Smith. “They put some orange goo on the cut to clot it. My wife often makes fun of my klutziness. This is not atypical. It’s a very Marty ordeal.”
As for Williams, things are going rather smoothly at Alabama.
“I would say here at Alabama, safety is our number one priority. I use extreme diligence when handling all cellular devices,” Williams said. “For safety purposes we prefer the old school flip phone for IFB use, simple but effective. All iPhones are used with extreme caution, as to not damage the money-maker. Which I suppose in Marty’s case went unscathed, since his hair was not damaged in the accident.”
Williams and Smith will be delivering live coverage from Alabama and Clemson throughout the week and weekend leading up to Monday’s college football championship, live on ESPN at 8 p.m. ET.
Anna Negron contributed to this post.
